I confess I didn't visit the fortified city of Vasai, on Novembre 17 2010 as I had wished to. I was in a hurry, instead, to reach a city already familiar to me, Mumbai. As I was only looking for the Portuguese flavour of the place, in the morning I went to the fort with a rickshaw driver. I knew the city, once known for its remarkable monuments and buildings, was now unrecognizable due to ignorance and abandonment. At times it is hard to understand the reasons behind this type of Indian attitude.When I reached the Sea view, I stopped at the port close to Porta do Mar (Sea Gate). After greeting some fishermen, probably Catholics, I went back in time and I dreamed how glorious was this fortified city with a fort of 10 bastions covering 110 acres of land housing magnificent buildings and monuments, all protected from enemies by 21 war ships each carrying 17 guns. Today, passing Porta do Mar, one can still see the wooden door, but the monuments inside are hardly recognizable. São José church can be recognized by the bell-tower and barrel-vaulted ceiling of the altar that once had frescoes comparable to those of Saint Peter basilica in the Vatican. Nossa Senhora da Vida church, the oldest church of Vasai, dating back as far as 1535, is recognized by its façade. In the church of Santo António there are many tombstones of Portuguese noblemen who lived in the city.It seems, almost 89 acres of the fortified city have been under protection since 1917. However, the Archaeological Department of India only recently began, with some organization, the restoration, that’s to say, renovation process. The Jesuits church, known by the name of the only local Indian saint, São Gonçalo Garcia, is the first example of this work.Vasai or Baçaim was influenced by the Portuguese, who ruled the province uninterrupted from 1533 to 1739. Local Samvedic language imported words from the Portuguese language. The Catholic Community has its cultural western heritage and is easily identified by the Portuguese surnames, such as Carneiro, Cunha, Dias, Falcão, Fernandes, Ferreira, Gonsalves, Mello, Pereira, Sá, Silva, and Souza. Catholic fishermen, however, have no Portuguese surnames. Churches bear Portuguese architecture and are identical to those of Goa. Each stone in the area fort is a piece of a puzzle that one needs to manage carefully to complete the Indian history. Some notable Indians have contributed to immortalize Baçaim, such as Father Francis Corrêa and Professor Reginaldo da Silva. The latter, was requested a few years ago to elaborate a tourist guide of the monuments, but "Bassein under the Portuguese", his masterpiece, is still awaiting publication.Local fast trains leaving from Mumbai Churchgate station halt at Vasai Road. The trip takes around 1 hour and costs 13 INR. From that, take local bus or rickshaw to the old city.